Asking the Lord to keep the eyes of my heart open to the extraordinary lessons of every day life.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Seeing & Being Seen

A couple of weeks ago while out and about doing my daily errands, somewhere between the grocery store and the dry cleaners, my phone chirped to notify me that I had received a message. The text from my friend Tashia was short & sweet: "I see you. Your hair looks great."

It made me smile in the moment, but in the weeks since it has come to mind several times. It was an ordinary Tuesday. I was just another middle-aged woman in an SUV taking care of mundane tasks. But someone cared enough to let me know I was seen.

Last week the Lord put a couple of women on my heart. I sent them similar messages. "I see you and appreciate all you are doing for our church/school/community." And their responses were amazing.

It shouldn't really be a surprise. Isn't it human nature to want to be noticed (for the right reasons?) We want to know we are not alone. Even with social media, we don't always really *see* each other.

You, crying over your worries about that child...He sees you and has a plan.
And you, wondering if your marriage can make it through this...He, who can strengthen you and help you and uphold you with His righteous right hand...He sees YOU.
Woman, exhausted from the work of those little ones in your care...God sees you.
Sister, fretting over those pending test results...the One who watches over You neither slumbers nor sleeps.

And part of our being salt and light in this world is to pause long enough to SEE the people He puts in our path.

The overworked grocery clerk this week...SEE them.
The stressed out Mama in carline...let her know she's not alone.
The co-worker who's countenance seems to indicate things aren't so rosy in their home life...See him/her with God's compassionate eyes.
The child you keep shooing away who wants to 'help' you...(sigh) make sure they don't feel 'in the way.'
The husband who gets what is left of you at the end of the day...see and appreciate how hard he works.

Even when we aren't necessarily feeling seen, it can be contagious. In living this life of Love we have been called to...may we make it our practice to slow down and SEE each other.

7 comments:

After a hard day of caring for our three week old baby, it's refreshing to be reminded that God is in control and SEES me/us. Funny thing is that before I read this post as I prayed about the stressful day, The Lord himself reminded me that he sees and cares for me.

About Me

In May 2004 I delivered 3 beautiful (albeit TINY) children and 7 hours later I "coded" due to life threatening cardiac & pulmonary complications. The Lord spared me from a tragic outcome and allowed me to stick around to enjoy the amazing man I married and the three sweet children we made.
I long to live a life an authentically grateful life. I mess up a lot. This blog is my attempt to refocus--striving to really SEE Him in the world and keep the main thing the main thing.
This blog began as a way to document my children's lives and to share milestones with family & friends. It evolved into a living testimony of my journey through young motherhood and a ministry to encourage other Moms in the trenches. The middle years have caused me to tread carefully on what I share--honoring the privacy of my family while trying to stay authentic. Working it out as we go...